


The Denizens' Challenges

by TeamTired



Series: The 120 Pairing Challenge [17]
Category: Homestuck, MS Paint Adventures
Genre: F/M, Pale Romance | Moirallegiance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-07-26
Updated: 2012-07-26
Packaged: 2017-11-10 18:16:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/469234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeamTired/pseuds/TeamTired
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kanaya confronts her Denizen and is left with a seemingly impossible puzzle. Meanwhile, Karkat fares much worse against his Denizen and desperately needs someone to be his Moirail. Though Kanaya knows that moirallegiance is an incredibly tricky business, she decides that she must help Karkat in his time of need.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Denizens' Challenges

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is based off of the conversation between Kanaya, Karkat, and Jade that occurred while Jade was looking to complete the universe frog. I decided it would be interesting to flesh out what exactly the Denizens were to the trolls, and how Kanaya and Karkat would have dealt with them, all within the scope of the pairing.

As Kanaya strode into the final room of her Denizen’s Dungeon, she could feel a chill, not the sort of chill that was the result of a drop in temperature, but the sort of chill that preceded something particularly dramatic. Kanaya smiled. She was no Bard, but she liked to think she had a flair for the narratively dramatic.

As she looked into the room, she saw the holes in the roof, holes which let in the rays of light which she had been meticulously directing with the intention of awaking her Denizen. A quick check at the center of the room confirms that which Kanaya already knows: her job has been well done.

A single step farther and Kanaya is greeted by Echidna, who rose to meet her.

“GREETINGS TO YOU, SYLPH OF SPACE, VIRGIN OF POTENTIAL, FUTURE MOTHER! I QUAKE WITH THE PRIVILEGE TO MEET YOU. WHAT IS IT THAT YOU SEEK?”

Kanaya was puzzled by her Denizen’s greeting, and noted her deep bow. Kanaya mirrored the bow, and opted to inquire further.

“Greetings To You Mother Of Monsters Denizen Of This Land

Your Puzzle Intrigues Me

Might I Understand What You Offer”

Echidna smiled, and Kanaya noted that a number of the snakes strewn about her lair did the same.

“TO COMPLETE YOUR DESTINY, YOUNG MOTHER, YOU MUST CHOOSE IN WHAT WAY AND FOR WHAT CAUSE YOU WISH TO LOSE YOUR VITAL PURITY.”

Kanaya arched an eyebrow ever so slightly.

“For A Game Meant For Children This Sounds Inappropriately Mature”

Echidna looked down upon Kanaya and frowned.

“I OF COURSE MEAN YOUR LIFE AND DEATH YOUNG SLYPH. YOUR DEATH COULD MEAN MANY THINGS, AND YIELD MANY FRUITS! YOU MUST CHOOSE WHAT YOU WISH TO GAIN FROM DEATH, THAT IS THE GIFT I OFFER TO YOU.”

Kanaya felt her courage rising and took a step forward. At this point she felt she understood what was going on.

“Am I To Understand That My First Death Is Special Then

Shall I Offer It In Supplication To You Then

To Relight The Forge”

Echidna laughed an oddly feminine laugh, itself tinged with the hiss of a thousand hidden snakes.

“NATURALLY NOT, SUCH AN ACT IS EFFORTLESS FOR ME, AND IS A FAVOR THAT I GLADLY PERFORM FOR YOU SIMPLY IN EXCHANGE FOR WAKING ME.

INDEED YOUR FIRST DEATH IS SPECIAL, AND OFFERING IT TO ME COULD YIELD A SOLUTION TO ANY OF YOUR PROBLEMS.

BUT YOU MUST CHOOSE WHAT YOU WISH THE CHILD OF YOUR DEATH TO BE! WILL YOU GIVE IT TO SAVE ANOTHER, OR TO BIRTH A NEW UNIVERSE? PERHAPS YOU WILL USE IT TO GAIN IMMENSE POWER, OR BECOME A MOTHER OF A MONSTER YOURSELF? ALL THESE OPTIONS I SEE IN YOUR FUTURE, IT IS UP TO YOU TO CHOOSE.

BUT BE CAREFUL, SLYPH OF SPACE, FOR FAILING TO CHOOSE MEANS THAT SOMEONE WILL EVENTUALLY CHOOSE FOR YOU, WHICH MAY NOT RESULT IN A FRUITFUL DEATH, AT LEAST NOT IN THE WAY YOU WISH!”

Kanaya nodded her head. She supposed she understood on some level. It was clear the game was focused around understanding and accepting personal mortality, and this seemed to be another case of that. She had an inkling of what to ask for, and so addressed the monstrosity before her one again.

“I Have Experienced No Little Difficulty In Stabilizing The Wave Form Of Our Frog

I Dont Suppose You Offer The Solution To That Particular Conundrum”

Echidna slowly slithered about her den, making a complete circle, until she was directly in front of Kanaya once again.

“YOU KNOW THAT I DO.

BUT FOR THAT GIFT I REQUIRE NOT ONLY YOUR LIFE BUT A PROMISE.

PROMISE ME THAT YOU WILL RAISE THE MATRIORB YOU HOLD IN THIS CHAMBER.

LET THIS MOTHER’S DEN BECOME THE SPRING OF LIFE FOR A RESURRECTED SPECIES. 

CAN YOU PROMISE ME THAT?”

Kanaya considered the challenge carefully. She knew that should she complete the game, her intention was to raise the Mother Grub she held in the new universe that her and her fellow trolls created. Was it her destiny to stay back, and restart the species here in the game? 

She consulted the Sylladex card for the matriorb, which remained obstinately locked under heavy chains. 

In response to her Denizen, Kanaya shook her head while carefully retreating, watching out for any hidden traps or tricks, but it seemed that Echidna really meant her no harm. At the cusp of the room, Kanaya shouted out to the Denizen one last time.

“I Cannot Promise That To You 

Not Yet

But You Have Given Me Quite The Puzzle To Consider

Thank You”

With that Kanaya carefully exited the lair and moved back into the light of her land. For a moment she regretted not taking Echidna’s offer. She had been searching for far longer than she cared to admit for a final frog to complete the genetic code, but to no avail. She had considered consulting Karkat, the team’s resident genetic expert, a number of times, but he always seemed too busy. Perhaps now would be an opportune time to speak to him. 

When she ejected her computer from her Sylladex, she found that he had already tried to contact her, though unsuccessfully, probably due to her being busy with her own Denizen. 

\-- carcinoGeneticist [CG] began trolling grimAuxiliatrix [GA] \--

CG: KANAYA I NEED TO SPEAK TO YOU.  
CG: RIGHT FUCKING NOW.  
CG: I’M FUCKING SERIOUS YOU ASSHOLE!  
CG: MY DENIZEN REALLY MESSED WITH ME AND I NEED SOMEONE TO TALK TO AND HERE I WENT FIGURING THAT THE FUCKING AUXILIATRIX COULD FUCKING HELP ME FOR ONCE.  
CG: BECAUSE DAMN IT ALL IF SOMETIMES THE GLORIOUS FUCKING LEADER ISN’T WEAK AND SCARED LIKE A LITTLE WRIGGLER. 

Kanaya furrowed her brow. Karkat had apparently begun his conflict with his Denizen around the same time she had, but had not had nearly the same experience. She prepared her response. 

GA: Im Here Now Karkat  
GA: I Suppose Ive Dealt With My Denizen For Now  
GA: Do You Still Need My Help  
CG: WHAT DO YOU THINK?  
GA: I Imagine That You Still May Need Me And That I Should Prepare Myself To Visit You  
CG: DING DING DING!  
CG: LOOKS LIKE YOU’RE RIGHT!  
CG: YOUR PRIZE IS AN ALL EXPENSES PAID TRIP TO MY FUCKING HELL LAND TO CALM ME THE FUCK DOWN  
CG: BECAUSE HONESTLY I’M TOO MESSED UP TO GO ANYWHERE RIGHT NOW  
GA: I Understand  
GA: I Would Like To Attempt Something New That May Lead To Me Reaching Your Location More Rapidly  
GA: Please Give Me A Moment 

Kanaya carefully concentrated, focusing around the energy that she had learned to foster as a Sylph of Space. As she found the energy inside her, she began to inform it carefully, instructing it as to her intentions. After a few minutes, she was convinced that she had negotiated an instantanious transfer of her person from her location to Karkat’s. As far as she knew, none of her friends had experienced such a barrier to the usage of her powers, but she supposed every power source was different. As she released the built up power, she felt herself become light as air, and in an instant, her perspective changed, the space around her became humid and her sight became dimmed, her eyes accomodating for the haze that covered Karkat’s land.  
It took her a few seconds to find her bearings, but once she did, it was easy to spy Karkat, who had taken up residence in a cave near his Denizen’s lair. She approached him carefully, aware that especially in this condition, he was both fragile and dangerous. As she walked slowly towards him, he didn’t seem to acknowledge her presence, which did nothing to deter her. Once she was inches away, she stretched her hand and rested it on his shoulder. 

“You Called”

Karkat turned around slowly, his face drenched in his bright red tears. Kanaya had suspected that he had some sort of blood mutation, and tried her best not to act surprised. What Karkat needed now was a comforting friend and a soothing voice, something to counteract what Kanaya was sure was the mental warfare of his Denizen. 

“I Wont Make You Talk If You Dont Want To

But I Think It Would Help

I Need To Know What Happened”

Karkat nodded but remained silent. He turned around to face her and she dropped to her knees, putting both her arms around him, giving him a shoulder to cry on. After Karkat finally dried his tears, Kanaya adjusted herself so that she was sitting cross-legged next to him, with one arm still around his waist. She took a minute to adjust his hair, pushing an errant lock behind his ears and tussling the hair around his horns. Though Karkat made a show of being annoyed, Kanaya knew he secretly found it comforting. 

It was another minute until Karkat was finally ready to talk. 

“MY DENIZEN WAS THIS HUGE BRONZE GUY CALLED TALOS.

HE HAD THIS GIANT VEIN IN HIS BACK THAT SPILLED INTO THE GROUND AND FILLED MY WHOLE LAND.

WHEN I GOT THERE HE WAS SCREAMING IN PAIN, HE HAD LOST ENOUGH BLOOD TO FILL MY ENTIRE WORLD BUT SOMEHOW HE KEPT GOING.

HE WAS SO DISGUSTING KANAYA.

BUT THE WORST PART WAS HOW HIS BLOOD WAS THE SAME AS MINE. 

HERE WAS THIS DISGUSTING NIGHTMARE OF A CREATURE SITTING THERE JUST BLEEDING AND SCREAMING.

AND HE WAS THE SAME AS ME!”

Karkat shuddered uncontrollably and Kanaya wrapped herself around him again, whispering a steady stream of “shooshs” into his ears in an attempt to calm him down. 

“You Are Not The Same As Him

You Are Our Leader  
And He Was Placed Here To Test You

Is That All That Happened”

Karkat gazed off for a minute, totally lost, before responding. 

“NOT TOTALLY. 

HE TRIED TO TALK TO ME, TO TRICK ME.

HE TOLD ME THAT AS A KNIGHT OF BLOOD, I WOULD BE CALLED TO SACRIFICE MYSELF.

THAT I WOULD BECOME LIKE HIM, A BEING IN ETERNAL PAIN FOR THE GOOD OF THE REST.”

Kayana recognized the cryptic words of a Denizen and frowned. Echidna was so much more helpful than that, but she supposed that the Denizen would probably respond differently depending on the attitude of the player. 

“So How Did You Respond”

Karkat perked up for a minute, but when Kanaya looked into Karkat’s eyes, she didn’t see the rare flash of happiness that she was hoping for. Instead, Karkat’s eyes were filled with the rage that Kanaya had become all too familiar with over the course of the game. As much as she understood Karkat’s tendency to fly off the handle, she knew it was his greatest weakness. 

“I PUT THAT BASTARD OUT OF HIS MISERY, KANAYA.

I ACTED LIKE A PROPER TROLL AND I CULLED THAT BASTARD AS FAST AS I COULD.

I SEVERED THAT VEIN EVERY PLACE POSSIBLE, AND THEN WHEN I WAS COVERED IN HIS BLOOD I SPLIT HIS FUCKING HEAD RIGHT IN FUCKING HALF, CLEAR THROUGH THE METAL.

AND WHILE HE WAS DYING I HEARD HIM CURSE THE NAME OF KARKAT VANTAS, AT WHICH POINT I GOT THE HELL OUT OF THERE AS THE DAMN PLACE COLLAPSED AROUND ME.”

Kanaya was disappointed with Karkat. She had hoped that Karkat’s personal journey would have lead to a more peaceful, well adjusted leader, but it was obvious that the final confrontation with his Denizen had been detrimental to say the least. 

“Karkat I Need You To Listen To Me

What We Need Is Not Another Hot Headed Battle Hardened Soldier

That Is Not What You Are

You Are Our Leader 

I Need You To Lead”

Lamentably, her speech didn’t have quite the desired effect. Karkat only shook his head and continued to stare, obviously still haunted by what he had just recounted. Kanaya decided to switch gears. She knew that being a moirail was about more than shushing and cajoling, and though she didn’t have nearly the experience she would have liked, she knew it was time to switch gears. It was time for a distraction.

“Well Then Can You Help Me With The Frog Puzzle

I Have Reason To Believe That A Final Frog Exists That Could Refine Our Croaks Waveform To Perfection

Could You Perhaps Lend Me Assistance”

That got Karkat going, but once again not in the way that Kanaya had hoped. 

“ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS KANAYA?

THE BATTLEFIELD IS GETTING DESTROYED EVERY MINUTE BY THE RECKONING, I AM UP TO MY SHAME GLOBES IN BLOODTHIRSTY ASSHOLES, AND WE STILL HAVE TO DESTROY THE QUEEN’S RING AND KILL THE BLACK KING AND WHO THE FUCK KNOWS WHAT ELSE!

AND YOU WANT ME TO FUCKING LOOK FOR AN AMPHIBIAN?”

He was becoming unstable. Kanaya knew she had to pull him back to earth quickly, before he got totally out of control. She had heard stories of trolls like this, trolls that couldn’t take the stress and just broke, to be eventually culled for the safety of the rest of the populace. 

“Very Well I Shall Attend To the Business Of The Frog On My Own Time

What Then Shall We Do

I Have Lit The Forge And Terezi Is Destroying The Ring As We Speak 

And Since The Incident With Aradia And Vriska We Have Had No Inter-party Violence To Speak OF

So What Is Next On The List Then

Killing The King I Suppose

Shall I Gather The Troops”

That finally did it. She had triggered somethin iin Karkat, something much more logical and cool-minded than what had been in control before. This was the Karkat that she wanted to deal with, and this was the Karkat that she knew could lead. 

“DAMN FUCKING RIGHT YOU SHOULD GATHER THOSE ASSHOLES!

WE SHALL GO TO WAR KANAYA, AND WHEN WE WIN, WE SHALL REAP THE REWARDS OF BEING GODS!

AND ALL OF THIS FUCKERY WILL BE WORTH IT.”

Kanaya stood up and offered Karkat her hand. As she helped him up, she saw a flicker of appreciation in his eyes, just another confirmation that the logical Karkat was back in control. 

As a parting gesture, Kanaya wrapped Karkat close one last time and gave him a kiss on the forehead. After one last scratch on the head near his horns for good luck she turned around, exiting the cave and mustering up her energies for another teleport.

Just as she phased out of Karkat’s land, she whispered one last thing:

“I Certainly Hope So”


End file.
